A wiper blade of the above kind is generally provided with a stiffening means and is held between jaws or bars of a flexible wiper arm.
Windshield wipers having blades of this known type suffer from a number of disadvantages in use. For example, the grooves formed on either side of the wiper blade detract from the appearance of the wiper itself. In addition, the grooves are liable to become blocked by snow or ice in winter, and this causes the blade to become deformed when parked or stationary, thus leading to a tendency to permanent deformation. The articulating strip itself constitutes a weak portion which leads to a risk of the wiper blade becoming torn. Furthermore, the reversals of the movement of the wiper cause severe reversals in the deformation of the working portion of the blade, and this is detrimental to the flexibility of the system in operation.